'Mentally, Physically Exhausted': Doctors Speak on NEET PG Counselling Protests

With no new staff, only 2/3rds of manpower has been available at government and state run hospitals, in a pandemic.

Podcast on Delhi Resident Doctors' Protest Over NEET PG Counselling Delays. image used for representational purpose.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Protests and sloganeering by resident doctors from across medical colleges and hospitals in Delhi have been reverberating for the past month over the delay in the NEET PG counselling process.

And the reason why this counselling process is important is because nearly 44,000 doctors, which are assigned by the counselling process every year, have been left in the lurch for almost 12 months now. And with no new staff, only two-thirds of medical staff has been available at government and state-run hospitals, in a pandemic.

On 27 December, a protest by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association or FORDA near ITO Post Office in Delhi met with a wall of police personnel, where videos shared on social media showed the police dragging and detaining several doctors.

Over 100 doctors were detained and the police also filed an FIR on charges of rioting and destruction of public property.

According to FORDA, the protests will continue until their demands have been met.

For today’s episode, you will hear from resident doctors part of the protest from Safdarjung and GB Pant Hospitals in Delhi. You will also hear from Dr Suvrankar Datta, who is a junior resident at AIIMS Hospital Delhi and the General Secretary of the Federation of All Indian Medical Association.